Once in a while I find out I’ve missed something important in the book world, some classic that’s been out forever that I somehow never noticed when it was first published, something that turns out to be wonderful. Then once in a very great while I find something I wish I’d read thirty years before it was ever published.
Continue readingA lovely sendoff for our beloved friend and acclaimed novelist Vonda McIntyre at her memorial service yesterday near Magnuson Park in Seattle. All of us at Book View Cafe, the author-owned publishing coop co-founded by Vonda, Ursula K. LeGuin, and … Continue reading
Today is the day we remember and honor those who’ve served in the military and those who continue to serve. Those who died in service to their country, and those who gave up more than any of us can possible … Continue reading
My friend and fellow writer, Book View Cafe co-founder, Vonda N. McIntyre, died last month. There were a bunch of obituaries, including mainstream papers like The New York Times and The Guardian, and many genre publications. Her friends have been gathering memories … Continue reading
I remember the Big Three of Childhood Diseases because I had all of them. I am of that vintage where I was young enough to be vaccinated against smallpox and polio (for which I am abundantly grateful, let me tell … Continue reading
As part of the process of downsizing prior to moving house, I had to go through a packet of parental artifacts passed from sister to sister to me. It was my sad job to off-load 1940’s dance cards, 1950’s business … Continue reading
When, sometime in 2018, a stray comment on social media alerted me to the presence of a wildlife sanctuary in Anacortes, WA – a mere hour’s drive for me – and the fact that this place offered wolf encounters… … Continue reading
This month, I want you to introduce you to something that is not actually in my writing box at all. It has nevertheless fuelled a lot of writing in class. It is also a little topical. I chose this item … Continue reading
Some days, I need to trigger my students’ emotions. They won’t learn if I don’t. Their eyes roam the classroom rather than settling on a thought, and their brains are scrambled. The right emotion will bring them back into the … Continue reading
The local radio station is playing in rotation a song called “Gold Rush”. While the band, Death Cab for Cutie, explains it’s about a romantic break-up, it’s clearly a eulogy for what is being lost in the current development tsunami … Continue reading
